camille*

Can't wait! What kind of gig is this? More or less like the recent showcase in Belgium?

Oh I had missed this thread! Hard to keep up these days Congrats Mari and Mellody

I wasn't home today so I missed the live stream Can anybody update me on what songs he sang? I don't even know if MFCers like Ilse got in? (Sounds like it was messy from Twitter)

Thank you for opening the thread. I followed the TBWKTM one very closely at the time I'm happy he's #1 in France (to be honest it does surprise me), just a precision : he sold less than the first week following the release of TBWKTM (- 15000) even though TBWKTM entered at #2, not 1.

Thank you very much Mari 'Sometimes I pinch myself and I'm like... my fans allow me to do this' Quote of the day!

Yes sure, but it sounded funny that Mika should work with 'the guy', it depends which guy we are talking about

You all make me laugh about Mika collaborating with the guy who sings... it's not a musician, it's the radio presenter, Cyril Hanouna, known for being funny and doing this 'shoulder dance'!

So you all won tickets? I was sure it would be a happy ending

I've been listening to the album for a whole week now so I think it's time for me to write down what I think about each song Origin Of Love I've loved it ever since the first time we could hear it live. I remember the date (July 4) because I remember so clearly my reaction to it. I was completely blown away. And I wasn't even expecting that much from this song as the bit of lyrics given by Mika didn't inspire me much. I loved the live version and was anxious about how it will end up on the record. And it is just as perfect as it could have been. (Almost) As powerful as the live version but with more vocoded vocals that we heard journalists talk about so much. They are just nicely used, not too much but powerful enough to bring you somewhere else. Perfect track for me, I just cannot skip it. Lola Contrary to Origin of Love, I found this one boring when I first heard it. It grew on me after I saw him performing live. And now I really like the album version. That bass line and these clapping sounds are cool. Not my favourite at all but I do enjoy it (be prepared I've got almost only nice things to say about all the songs, I might get boring) Stardust I see it as a potential hit, I like Mika's voice in it (more in verses than in the chorus, like that 'on the floor' part) but for me it's overproduced and so doesn't give me much emotion. I would like to hear an acoustic version of this. This is one I could skip more easily than the others, even though I've found myself listening to it more and more in the last few days. Make You Happy I was used to the LA Edit and although I was a bit disturbed by the famous so-called robot voice at first, I got into the song quite quickly this Summer. The Miami edit is a nice version, I didn't think there would be different lyrics so that was a pleasant surprise, I always like to know what Mika has to say.. This symphonic version is a good idea and a good representation of what Mika wanted to do with the album I think. I just wish the last lines would be more powerful ('Never gonna give you up...') My emotions with this song are mixed. I used to feel sad and melancholic but not anymore. I don't know how to explain this change. Underwater What can I say... Pure beauty. Like OOL, I've liked it since the first time in Seoul. Got even more excited with the live versions this Summer. Of course the minor changes at the end (the repeated lines coming earlier) surprised me (in a bad way) at first (that's the problem hearing live versions), but all in all it's faithful to that beautiful song we had the chance to hear for a few months. I just can't wait to hear it live again. And maybe on the radio if it really is the next single and gets airplay. This is one my favourites, once again one of those songs that make me travel without moving. Overrated I've never been particularly attached to the demo version so I had no real preconceived idea. But I was a bit scared from media reviews about it being cut up for clubs. And... :shocked: I absolutely adore it! That first minute is like the climax of the album for me (the chorus is weaker I think) A perfect example of music transcribing what the lyrics are about in my opinion. I think I could listen to that 'Offered up my wrist' verse forever. And I don't even usually listen to 'dance' music. In that sense I'm completely impressed and blown away by the song. Kids First time I listened to it (at 1am at that listening party) all I could envision was kids and teenagers on their skateboards in sunny California.. It made me think of that song 'Forever Young'. I felt so peaceful. I know the lyrics are not particularly positive but really he made me travel somewhere else again. And this time in a precise place. And time too as I found it very 70s like. The only thing is I feel we don't hear Mika's voice well enough. Love You When I'm Drunk Love it!! His voice (at the same time high and low in the verses, and that almost shouting 'I' in the first 'I only love you'), the tempo, the melody (2nd verse I feel like in a Sonic video game when there's some trumpet sound on 'I don't wanna be that guy' that puts me in such a great mood ) and the lyrics!! I think it is the song that sounds the most like his previous work. Although I must say as a whole the album has a more modern sound than the other 2 albums. Step With Me Erm.. Not sure what to say. I enjoy it for sure. It's fun and nice and the combination with the girl's voice feels like going back home in winter especially on 'home cooked dishes' of course. And when Mika is singing on his own towards the end. But it's not my favourite. Popular Song Ok I have to be honest, first time I didn't even listen to it entirely. I found it way too long and I was wondering what the hell he was doing. Only with time I got to know it and started getting excited about different parts of the song (also because I discovered the lyrics better). First it was the chorus in itself that lifted me up 'I know about popular' (I have to add I absolutely don't know the musical Wicked), then the 'My problem...' part and now the whole song makes sense to me and works because I know the words and I find it funny and could only be created by Mika. Emily Pleasantly surprised on that one. For me EMD is a very good song and I didn't particularly understand why he wanted to adapt it in English (unless he wanted to make it a single). But now it makes sense. He switched roles in the lyrics and it takes a different dimension. As I said somewhere in the song thread, I especially like him singing 'Emilyyy' and it makes me sad in a way, which I didn't experience at all with EMD. I like that he talks about speaking French in the song, and kept one sentence. Honestly, who does that in the UK? Heroes It's one of the songs that gave me the most emotional feelings when I first listened to it. In my mind it would be boring, I don't know why, I think from reviews from some listening sessions that word might have come up several times (or was it for Kids?) And so when the chorus started... Wow. What a voice! What a powerful shout.. And when you mix it with these sad remarkable poetic lyrics it makes it one of the highlights of the album for me. And I knew it the second it finished at the first listening. Celebrate I don't listen to it much... I hear it enough on the radio, which is nice. I like it. It makes me dance, smile, sing. A good Mika song although I could have done without that Pharrell part and with the China Boy bit. Elle Me Dit What is there to say? 2011 #1 hit in France, it's not with luck, it's just one of the most effective songs from Mika. The fact that it was the first song we heard in French makes it even more valuable to me. Karen My worst fear has come true No I'm kidding, but still, well, I've loved Karen since the Compiègne gig and was stressing out a bit about how it would end up on the album, because that piano live version was just so beautiful to me. I liked it a bit less this Summer with the new version and now I like it a bit less on the album. Which is not the best feeling. It used be a very pretty nice French song and now I feel like his voice is 'sanitized' in a way. It's not the best way of singing to suit the lyrics. L'Amour dans le Mauvais Temps Concerning the melody, no real surprise here. It's pleasant and I like it more than BIOTW. Lyrics are ok; but Mika's voice seems a little bit too 'formal', without enough emotion. And I don't really like the echoing voice. Still, there are some phrases and words that sound delicious from Mika's mouth.. Un Soleil Mal Luné :wub2: Hard to say anything else. Beautiful. I would love more people to know that Mika sings this. He sounds so natural, so pure. Mika's talent exposed to the ears of everybody. Wish it could have been on the standard edition. Tah Dah I forgot to write something about this song at first! Needed to edit my post! How could I?? I think it's because I was praising the previous song so much.. And also for some reason Tah Dah hasn't made its way to my MP3 player yet. I really really love it too. So mysterious, so fun (I laughed out loud the first time I heard him sing the actual words Tah Dah) Although I have no idea what he's singing about yet! I need to listen more carefully. Ah.. so many great songs.. All in all... Mika! I'm not ready to stop being one of your fans if you continue making music like this... Everytime I start thinking a little bit about my fandom and think it's kind of absurd (I've never been a fan of anyone else before), it takes me less than a minute to know why I follow all this so closely. This is genius.

Translation from 6.30 -Elle Me Dit, song from The Origin of Love, this is a happy song (chanson contente) M - Apparently we can't say 'contente'.. I speak a bit like Jane Birkin there (imitates her accent) - This song was covered by Les Enfoirés for their show at the beginning of the year, are you aware that les Enfoirés sung this song? M - No. - For the association 'Les Restos du Coeur' M - Cool. I wasn't aware of this. - Have you ever thought of joining them on their campaign for Les Restos du Coeur? M - Joining campaigns like this.. I like it. I'd like doing something like that. This is probably just a timing problem because after a year and a half in the studio everyday, it was quite intense. - It looks like you're chilling out only just now M - Now I'm chilling out. (After the break, Mika talks when he's not supposed to ) - We're with our guest Mika M - Who doesn't stop talking - No, it's good, you're here for that. You are getting connected again to the news, because you've just spent a year and a half in the studio, you're in a rush for your promo and so we were talking together during the music break about news; this American film which provoked violence in the Middle East, and Mahomet caricatures published by the magazine Charlie Hebdo. One word from you, you were born in Beirut in Lebanon where different religions lived well together for a long time M - For a very long time, for hundreds of years - And then really badly, then a little bit better now... Do you care about this, do you think we can joke with the prophet Mahomet or with religion? M - Oh this is hard, can we joke about religion... It's clear that you're asking this to someone who often talks about religion in his albums, his songs. I think there are limits. We are in a very sensitive time when people are finding ways to fan the fire. - To add oil to the fire? M - Yes exactly. They add oil to the fire and I don't know, I think there are moments and ways to do this but there are limits too, because... who does it hurt? That's the problem. But at the same time, the reactions on this film... I haven't seen the film. Have you? - American film that we can watch on the Internet M - Reactions are huge, I saw pictures from Sydney, from so many cities... - What we understand from what you're saying is 'As someone coming from a country where religious topics are extremely sensitive, I know that sometimes there are moments to be careful not to fan the fire', this is what you just said in a way. Let's go back to your album. - Another song from the album, it's called Lola. In this song you talk with tenderness about the oldest job in the world, why? M - I don't know, I also did it on Love Today, talking about a woman called Carolina, who I used to see in Miami in the night when I was coming back home from the studio at 3am, I would always see her working at the corner of the I-95, the big highway in Florida, in the US. She was like 45 or 50, she was often on her own, looking quite miserable, and I was obsessed with her character. - And Lola, have you met her too? M - Yes. Lola is not her real name, Carolina wasn't her real name either but yes it's another person with the same situation. - Your album is also released as a deluxe edition with a 2nd CD containing 3 songs in French M - 4 ! (3 on the 2nd CD, I think the journalist is right there ) - 4, sorry, you're right, there's also EMD. And just as if our language inspired you another kind of atmosphere, here you are on your own at the piano in this song 'Un Soleil Mal Luné' - This is another Mika, I'm sorry to say that but it's true M - But it's good to have another... - Not 'sorry', but really, superb presence, not that you are retiring in the other songs, where there's a lot of surrounding music, here it's... M - It's just me. - Are you thinking about making a whole album in French? M - Maybe one day. I wrote all my French songs with my collaborator, Doriand - You say you make mistakes when you write in French. M - I always make mistakes, and Doriand who's actually there looking through the window always tries to correct me but I don't let him do it, I think that it's my hand, it's the little thing I can do, small mistakes in French. It's Birkinism. - Mika, you've just said 'this is just me'. A piano, a voice, 'just me' M - This is how I write all my songs. - Why not one day 'just you', on a whole album? M - Oh yes, yes, that's for sure. I'm touring France and Europe in beautiful venues, for example the Casino de Paris and it starts with a piano and me on my own, and little by little it becomes a bigger show. But, yes, making a whole album like that tempts me very much. - We're ready to receive it. (They talk about the film on Grace Kelly, with Nicole Kidman chosen to play her role) - One question for you Mika, you have sung 'Grace Kelly', in the EMD video there is Fanny Ardant, so cinema and you, as an actor or a soundtrack writer, is it something you are thinking about doing? M - I'm a fan, visually I'm completely a fan. - And as an actor? M - Actor? Me? No, I'm too goofy. - Too what? 'Goofy?' Too clumsy? M - Awkward. - Clumsy, is that it? M - I'm not at ease with the proximity of the camera. - But you dance so well on stage! M - With some distance! You don't see the flaws, you can't see the details. On stage it's completely different, we can exaggerate. But the choice of Nicole Kidman for the role is interesting in my opinion, simply because first of all she's beautiful, and she's a very good actress, in Dogville she was amazing. At the same time, everybody knows her. That's the problem. When you want to discover a character, an icon like Grace Kelly, the advantage often is that you choose an actress who's not really well known. For example Marion Cotillard when she played Edith Piaf. Most people in the world; I know that in France we knew her quite well, but most people across the world didn't know her at all. So there was some sort of ignorance, of discovery, we discovered the character of Piaf with Cotillard. (Just before the break they say Mika is staying now that he got served a coffee... And that he likes it with cardamom) (Then it's a literary review of an American book about historical facts, Japanese women getting to the US during the war and being mistreated) - Did you know this part of history Mika? M - It's real? - Yes everything is real. M - No I didn't know about it at all. - We are offering you the book. M - It's in French it will be complicated. - We need to find the original version. - If you want to make an album like you said, French and piano on your own, you'll have to read in French. - Thanks a lot. (Now review about the show 'Danse avec les stars') - Mika would you like to be in that show? M - It's not my thing. - You have the right silhouette though. - Too goofy? M - I've got friends dancing on the show. But it's not my thing. - Your thing is music and the album that just got released 'The Origin Of Love' (Then at the end he just asks for the recording of EMD by Les Enfoirés, and the host thanks him for his kindness and his culture that goes way beyond music culture, which seems to embarrass Mika )

Male presenter : It's the musical event of the week : the release last Monday of Mika's 3rd album. Mika, 29, is already part of the biggest selling artists over the world, 10 million albums sold in only 6 years and worldwide hits, Mika was in Paris at the start of the week, he has met Sandrine Quétier Female presenter : In a big hotel, everything went very well, he talked about everything without taboo, with sincerity. He tells us about 5 days that marked his life, his good times, his bad times. Report : Last Tuesday it's in this big hotel on Avenue Montaigne in Paris that Mika met Sandrine Quétier. 'How are you Mika? Very well thank you. We are together today to talk about your new album' An album from which the song Celebrate made us dance all Summer. The start of his passion for music, his sensational early career, the women of his life, at only 29 everything seems successful for the British Lebanese singer. He tells us today about 5 days that marked his life. 23 February 2007, Mika is 23. For this TV show, he plays the first song he learnt to play on his piano. (Aux Champs Elysées playing) 'It was the start of your career in France, right? It was my first TV show, with Nagui. I remember absolutely every second of this moment. It was the first TV show I did in France. Almost nobody knew me in the room. And they all started singing with me. It warmed my heart, it gave me an electric feeling' Dyslexic child, Mika doesn't find his own place at school amongst children of his age. Very early he leaves school and music is for him a way out. 'Academically, I was rubbish. And so my mother thought, well this boy is a bit different from my other children, why not, maybe it'd be better if he learns music. So during almost a year I did nothing, except learning how to sing and play the piano. And I became very good at it very quickly and then at the age of 11 I had my first job in a Strauss opera at the London Royal Opera and it changed my life.' And it's when he's 24 that Mika releases his first album, which encounters worldwide success. (French Grace Kelly playing) In front of 55000 people at the Parc des Princes, he sings one of his biggest hits, Grace Kelly, in French. 'In my head it was a very good idea. I thought 'ok I'll go on this B-stage, just me and a piano, a white piano, it would be beautiful' and now when I watch this I pity myself. I remember this person there thinking 'either I vomit or I start singing because really it's one or the other' He sold 6 million copies of his first album over the world. A dazzling success that Mika lives alongside his family. 'We had the opportunity to discover your mother and your sisters in a very nice documentary' 'Women... There are too many women in my family.' I think you remember this documentary.' 10 April 2010, Mika welcomes a TV team backstage of his tour. There we discover his universe, childlike and feminine. (Documentary playing) 'She was furious. She didn't want to give this interview.' 'What is your relationship with these women in your life?' 'I don't know, it's quite an explosive relationship. Most people, when they see us in the streets or in a restaurant, think we are constantly fighting. But the truth is it's our way of communicating. That's how we talk. But 6 months after the shooting of this documentary, the family lives a tragedy. Paloma falls from her 4th floor flat on railings and is seriously injured. 'How is she now?' 'She's much better, thank you. It's a bit of a miracle, first of all she shouldn't be alive after what happened, and secondly, the fact that she's not paralysed is surprising. She has been in hospital for a year and a half, and it gave her the desire to go away from these 4 walls around her' After this event Mika needs to find happiness and lightness again, also to free himself and proclaim his difference. In Elle Me Dit Mika makes the list of a mother's reproaches to his son, it's a bit autobiographical, it's mostly joyful and quirky, and Mika chose Fanny Ardant to play in his video. 'I don't know how but from my point of view she succeeded in keeping her mystery. She can play a mother but at the same time it's a rock'n'roll, punk, sexy mother, and it was essential for this role' With this song, Mika wins the NRJ Music Award for Best International Artist of the year. 'There's only one person to thank, it's my fans, thank you, I'm here because and thanks to you' One year after Elle Me Dit, Mika continues liberating himself. He now releases an album about love and lifts the veil on his private life. 'When I said to my friends I was writing an album with love songs, they all thought 'what are you doing, it's going to be out of date, you'll make an album with power ballads from the 90s' and I was like 'no, not exactly...' 'You have revealed you are living a beautiful love story with a man, were you fed up with questions about your sexuality?' 'Well, in a way, yes, but in another way... I don't mind. I don't mind because I'm happy. It comes from a joyful feeling more than anything and so... 'You're a happy man...' 'I'm happy but at the same time I realise that saying something like this is important. And I've always been honest in my music and my life' Mika is starting his tour from next month and will be in France on November 12th and 13th at the Casino de Paris (and the other gigs don't exist in the French media, as usual )

My copy of TOOL killed my CD player. I listened to it once on there and the next time it wasn't working anymore Can't you use your computer?

I watched this last night and really enjoyed it, thanks for posting. I might translate the rest later (it is on my list of many interviews still to translate ) I like that he knows les Enfoirés now. 3 years ago on a radio interview they chose my question about them and asked it to Mika, he had no idea who they were. Happy he still remembers who they are.

He's talking about why he doesn't like the sea (I suppose because this is for the newspaper Ouest France, based in Brittany and so close to the sea) He says he has this childish fear of not knowing what is below the water so he rarely swims in it; although he finds it beautiful, likes going on boats and actually goes on holidays at the seaside.

I'll do it First I just have to watch it

Thanks! Ready to listen, finally an interview I won't miss as it's the weekend

I try my best but it's never easy to translate lyrics Karen is 20, yes but Karen has nothing else, and time is already going by Leaning on the bar Rue des Martyrs, 82, Karen looks back on her life She would like a better life than her brothers and sisters who fell into line Karen says that Paris is big, that another life is waiting for her, She says nobody will buy her So Karen relies on her lipstick and moves She says she's better than this Karen doesn't care she's free, she's free Karen says she'll be a star, she sleeps with bastards She says people will envy her Karen always drinks in your honour, sings other people's songs, Sings her dreams and ours Sings at the Bistrot 82 Karen is 30 but she's got nothing else to do Not even having children not even dusting She lives with her mother two streets away from the 82 One day love came It knocked on her door, she shouted at it to make it leave 'I don't open to strangers' Karen says that Paris is big, that another life is waiting for her, She says nobody will buy her Karen still relies on her lipstick and moves She says she's better than this Karen doesn't care she's free, she's free Karen says she'll be a star, she sleeps with bastards She says people will envy her Karen always drinks in your honour, sings other people's songs, Sings her dreams and ours Sings at the Bistrot 82 Karen is 50, she's got no allowances no money She smokes and coughs on a small white bed She thinks about going to have a drink at the 82 But she will die just before On her old rotten mattress This wretched spring which is hurting her sides Karen says that life is hard, that she's heading for disaster She says nobody will stop her Karen then places her bet on darkness Closes her eyes and goes away Without understanding why, Karen goes away, she's free, she's free Karen says she'll be a star, she sleeps with bastards She says people will envy her Karen always drinks in your honour, sings other people's songs, Sings her dreams and ours Sings at the Bistrot 82

I didn't know where to post this article, I don't think it needs its own thread but I find it interesting. They were with Mika right after Le Grand Journal that's why I chose to post it here, please move it if it's better somewhere else http://www.lepoint.fr/musique/mika-a-califourchon-20-09-2012-1508282_38.php Translation In his dressing room, one of his assistants is busy putting in a big trunk all the cosmetics needed for a TV show. He just arrives from the set of 'Le Grand Journal'. Worried about his performance. About his hearing problems. 'I miss 60% of my hearing in the right ear. French interviews are really hard when it's noisy. I don't always understand the questions very well, especially if people don't articulate.' But Mika is not long to collect his senses. Lanky silhouette and crazy charisma. No flamboyance or affectation in his attitude. We are very far from the boy jumping on stage like a kangaroo having ecstasy. Sometimes, he shows an obvious need to be reassured ('I speak like an idiot right now, don't you think?'). Of course, his personality is much more complex than the image he gives. Obsessive, demanding and perfectionist, regularly in reconsideration, torn by love. Not always easy to follow him in his adventures. 'It's not easy everyday to work with me' he admits. No ego with him, but an unrestrained desire of discovery. To be understood as : he's not in automatic pilot position. 'I'm in between commercial and the desire to go somewhere else. It's a roller coaster. It allows me to be a true musician, to realise that music is not always easy.' 3 years of shortage between this delivery - The Origin of Love - and the previous one - The Boy Who Knew Too Much. The only thing we could get was the single 'Elle Me Dit', released beforehand and nominated as Best song at the Victoires de la Musique. No inspiration? Writer's block? 'For a year and a half, I couldn't write a song. Everytime I was sitting at the piano, I was thinking about people's verdict about the song before it even existed. It was quite destructive.' In the meantime there has also been a family tragedy. At the end of 2010, his sister fell from the 3rd floor of her flat. She became impaled on railings which pierced her abdomen and legs. Critical status. A trauma for Mika who saw the tragedy with his own eyes. However this accident will be the album starting point. 'Paradoxically, it led me to a period of creativity. I realised I could lose everything. You don't think about yourself anymore when you're next to someone dying stupidly. It's strange that this extremely joyful album came from a tragic event.' Less bubble-gum songs than in the past and a familiarized musical seduction. Several listenings are necessary to dig out all the subtleties of this album made as a diary. This doesn't prevent it from having effective hits (Origin of Love, Make You Happy, Overrated) and layered gargantuan melodies. So as to remind us that the boy is not in order, but in a mess. With him, fever and party never stop going crazy. Flexible, quivering, high pitched, his voice occupies space. It's even playing up in the clouds on the striking 'Underwater' and dream-like 'Heroes'. In the middle of this imaginary world, an unidentified song 'Love You When I'm Drunk'. Strange conception of love. 'Uninhibited, we don't have all our faculties. Didn't it happen to you, after being sober again, to hate somebody? I've experienced this. And it's better to run away very quickly' he says in a big laugh. Boys or girls? The mystery is over. The Lebanese singer, who claimed being bisexual for a long time, has come out this Summer in an American magazine. Needless to say that this confession takes a lot of space in the promotion. 'I was the one to choose the moment. Fear had nothing to do with this choice. I'm not saying I wasn't nervous when the time came. In a way, musically, it's not very important. But it's different as a person.' Constantly bombarded with questions on this topic, always evasive in his answers, Mika is freed from a weight. 'I've never felt this gay pressure in France. But in the US or in the UK, a part of the press was obsessed with it. Here, there is more tolerance with my attitude and the freedom I gave to myself.' For many, it was nobody's secret. How could it be any different for a boy whose mother fantasy proved to be Fanny Ardant?

Thanks, didn't want to lose time watching again when I still have a billion interviews to watch No spelling mistakes!

I'm asking you to light this tragic crime of passion?

Oh that was posted in the France 5 thread, I already wrote a translation but I heard 'blue' hair not blond... It's not really the same is it? I'm not sure what he said now

I'm reading all the threads and posts in a rush, I hope I'll have more time to read and comment soon; but I wanted to quote this because I totally agree. I still like Karen on the album but it is not the song I loved and 'defended' as a French beautiful song a while ago. Now it's more Un Soleil Mal Luné that sounds like that.

I don't know why but Emily makes me quite sad. When he sings that 'Eeeemilyyy' part So different to Elle Me Dit in that sense!

Ok I have some time at least for a one minute video Translation I love these machines. 2€? I have to pay? 'Have you ever thought of dying your hair blond?' At the moment, no. But when I'm 50, I'll celebrate my birthday with blue hair. 'After Fanny Ardant, Catherine Deneuve in your next video?' Yes maybe. The next video is underwater. If she wants to have a swim, why not. 'When will we see Mika in a movie?' Mika in a movie, it will never happen. It's impossible, I'm too goofy. 'I dare you to dance in the tweetomaton' That's very easy. 'Can you imitate Michaël Gregorio?' ...